Refrigerator



C; F. WALTER Feb. 2s, 1933..

REFRIGERATOR Filed Jan. 5, 1932 lllilllllllvllll.

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f l l f Paentea Feb. 2s, A1933 UNITED STATES CARL F. WALTER, 0l' LINCOLN, NEBRASKA mmama'ron Application led January 5, 1932. Serial No 584,882.`

This invention has for its object the provision of a refrigerator in z,which the articles of food are easily accessible and any desired article may be brought to a position atV the front ofv the" refrigerator where it can be easily withdrawn without interference from other articles and without requiring a rearrangement of-any of the articles in the refrigerator. The invention also has for its object the provision -of a tray or holder whichl will firmly support and carry dishes and food and which may be turned within the refrigerator casing to bring a desired article to the front so that it may be removed. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter fully described, the novel features beingparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a-front elevation of a refrigerator embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 -o'f Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. Ltis an enlarged detail of the `corner fastening forv the tray support,

Figs. 5 and 6-are detail plan views showing variations.

The refrigerator casing or box 1 maybe of any approved construction and is shownfas pro'vided'with a door 2 adapted to close the entire front of the food compartment. The box is also illustrated as having a lower por- 35 ltion 3 in which may be mounted a compressor and its motor for mechanical automatic refrigeration. An ice compartment 4 is -provided in the upper portion of the box and is l shown as containing two ice drawers 5 and having its Abottom defined by atray or partition 6 which may be of any approved form and removably supported in any preferred manner. U on this tray or partition 6 are placed pans to receive the water Lwhich driiips from the ice drawers when they, are

frosted, the pans yobviously corresponding in number to the ice drawer-s. If the refrigerator is not ada ted for automatic refrigeration` 5 but is chille by' artificial or natural blocks of ice, the ice drawers may be removed and the supply of ice placed directly upon the tray 6 or rested upon the pans 7 so that the water formed by the melting ice-will be collectedand will not be permitted to pass down through the refrigerator and possibly spoil the food. stored therein. It will be understood, of course, that the common arrangements for carrying the drip water directly to a sewer may be employed when circumstances will permit.

The box is preferably rectangular -or square, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 2, and in each corner of the box there is provided a bracket inthe form of a stout wire or light rod 8 having one end threaded whereby it may be secured in the wall of the box and its opposite end upturned, as 'shown at 9, to pass through an opening lprovided therefor in a bar 10 whereby said bar will be supported, the extremity of the bracket being 'threaded to receive a wing nut 11 whichv may be turned home against the bar to firmly secure it in place.

'A nut 25 may be provided under the bar, if deslred, to permit vertical adjustment when necessary to bring the bar into a level position. The bar 10 constitutes one" arm or branchof a cruciform frame for supporting a tray, the several branches or bars of the frame being disposed on diagonals' of the box, as shown in Fig. 2, and being connected at their centers or points of intersection by a plate 12 having a central opening there-A through.. Fitted upwardly through said central opening is a screw or' threaded stem 13 having a head 14 adaptedV to bear against the bottom of the plate and equipped with a lock nut 15, abovevthe plate, so that when the nutis turned home, the stemwill be rmly fastened in the plate. The upper extremity of this stem is reduced, as shown at 16, and has an internally threaded socketv in its upper end, vthis reduced portion 16 being smooth throughout its outer surface. A ro-l tatable support 17 is fitted upon the tenon or reduced extremity 16 and a tray upon Isaid support, a's'shown in Fig. 3. The tray/is provided with an annular rim or ange 19 whereby dishes and plates or articles of food v'placed upon the tray will be 18 rests retained thereon and, at its center, a boss is formed upon the tray. countersunk opening is formed centrally through the boss 20 and a screw 21 is inserted through the opening to engage in the internally threaded socket of the tenon 16 so that the tray will be held to the support 17 and the stem. The screw 21 is turned home suiiiciently to rev tain the tray in place but not so as to bind the tray against the body 17 and interfere with its free rotation as it is intended that the tray be freely rotatable iny order that it may be turned to bring to the front of the f refrigerator casing or box an article which may happen to be at the back of the box.

Secured upon the frame 10, concentric with the stem 13, is an annular plate or ring 22 and supported in suitable brackets on this plate are rollers 23 of such diameter that they rwill engage against the underside of the tray 18 and thereby support thetray so that itl may freely ,turn and will not be permitted to tilt or oscillate. As many trays and assoclated supports may be provided as may be .desired or the capacity of the refrigerator interior of. the box is necessary. The foodcarrying trays are circular while the refrigerator box is rectangular and, consequently,

there is ample spacel around the ,trays for circulation of air to accomplish ,thorough ventilation of the refrigerator and permit the cool air to reach all of the food for the preservation of the same. An article may' be placed upon the tray, at the front of thesame, and the tray then rotated toagreater or less .degree so that the article.l may be mo/Vfcd away from the front of the refrig' y erator to permit additional articles to be placed upon thetray and, of course, the same operation will bring an article at the back of therefrigerator to the front when the removal of such article is desired. The provision of a plurality of supporting rollers results in maintainingthe trays in a horizony tal position at all times and permits them to be very easily turned to give access to any desired article. While I have illustrated the refrigerator box as having a single door and a single compartment, it will be understood that the refrigerator may be made in a`1 1y desired; size andmay be provided wlth two or more ti'ersf .of vfood-supportingy trays. It will be readily noted, upon reference 'toF1g,

1, that the entire space between any two trays is clear and the entire surface of each tray is available for carrfyring food.

When the box or re igerator body is oblong and a space of appreciable area is left at one side of the rotary tray, an auxiliary tray 26 may be provided andy supported by hooks on' the walls of the box or by extensions of the bars 10, as shown in Fig. 5, and it will be understood that the inner' edge of this auxiliary tray may be arcuate to fit close tothe circular tray. As shown in Fig. 6, triangular trays 27 may be .provided in the corners of the refrigerator box.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a box, brackets securedA in the wall of the box and consisting of hooks having upturned threaded inner ends, a frame having arms provided" with terminal openings receiving the upturned ends of said brackets, nuts engaging the threaded ends of thehooks on opposite sides of the arms and bearing thereagainst to hold the frame on the brackets and permit adjustment of said frame vertically of the brackets, a food-carrying tray, and means for rotatably supporting -the vtray on the frame.

2. A refrigerator comprising a box, a frame mounted in and extending across the box, a stern secured in the frame at the cent-er thereof and having a reduced upper end, a supporting body loosely mounted on said reduced upper end, a food-carrying tray resting at its middle portion upon sai supporting body, and a fastening device inserted through the tray into the upper end of the stem.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature. CARL F. WALTER. v[11s.]`

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